The Darkness That Surrounds The Eye
by SkyLight342
Summary: Natsu and Lucy went on a security mission, to guard something unbeknownst to them, The Evil Eye. When a dark guild called Demon's Gate steals it after their mission, the employer pays them to find it. In the midst of battle, the two confess their love for one another. But what does this "Eye" do, and why are they responsible for finding it? Rated M for Mature Themes. I Don't own FT
1. What is the eye?

Lucy stretched her body as she sat up in her bed. She looked outside towards the window, it was overcast. _At least it should clear up by noon,_ she thought to herself. She looked down at her left side. The busty blonde had grown accustomed to her teammate sleeping in her bed. It seemed that no matter how many times she'd Lucy Kick him out of her bed, he'd always climb back in the next night. Eventually, she just gave up.

"Where's Natsu? He was here last night..." She got out of her bed and began looking for him within the apartment.

She went to the bathroom, "Hmm, nope." She checked the kitchen and there she found him. He was making breakfast.

"I was wondering where you'd went! You're never up before me!" She smiled at the young pinkette.

"Well, we just got back pretty early from the job, and you were knocked out by the time I got to your window." Natsu had decided to make pancakes with bacon and eggs. "So I figured you might be a bit hungry I didn't think you'd eaten since lunch yesterday. Nakama have to look out for each other." He turned and smiled at her.

"Why you're so thoughtful!" Lucy beamed at him. _He's so thoughtful when he wants to be_.

"Why not just wait and get something together at the guild though?" She questioned.

"I don't know, I thought you'd wanna sit and relax today. We did get a nice amount of Jewels and we didn't do much damage considering it was more security than anything." He grabbed two plates from the cabinet and put their food on the plates. They sat down at her table and ate.

"Natsu! This is really good! I figured you only cooked fish!" She was stunned.

"Haha! I do cook more than fish, but I don't do it very often." The Salamander looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"So, Natsu?" She said stuffing the last bite of food into her mouth. "Do you wannna do anything in particular today? It's supposed to clear up outside around noon and it's around 10:30 now."

Natsu almost instantly replied, "Let's go to the guild, I bet they're dying to see us! We've been gone for three days watching that guy's house. I need to go and kick some of that ice-boy's butt!" He punched his hand and flame was forming. _Aww yeah! I'm all fired up now!_

 _He never ceases to amaze me. He's such a goofball!_ The young woman looked at the boy with slightly pink cheeks and smiled.

"Okay, then! Let's go! Just let me change, okay?"

"Sure! Take your time!" He waved her off. He began to clean the dishes he created from breakfast.

Lucy was changing and couldn't decide what to wear. She decided to go with a red skirt and a black corset that zipped in the front, she grabbed a pair of black boots, put her hair up into a high ponytail and grabbed her keys and walked out the door with Natsu.

* * *

When they returned to Fairy Tail, everything was bustling and was lively as ever. They had returned from Hargeon and Makarov had comended them on the small amount of damage done to the property.

"So Flame-brain, how was the job?" The Ice-Make wizard, missing his shirt, slapped him on the back."I heard you didn't go screwing shit up this time." He nudged his side.

"Well Gray, we didn't do much of anything the past few days." Behind him was Lucy. "It was so boring, we just sat there. Nothing even happened! Which was really weird, honestly."

"What do you mean, Lucy?"

"I mean, he didn't even tell us what we were guarding."

"Yeah! All he said was, 'Don't look in the eye.' whatever that means."

"Yeah, I guess that is pretty weird..." Gray's voice trailed off. "But hey! Jewels are jewels and you guys did the job well, too! So I guess congrats are in order! It's time to celebrate!" This caught attention of everyone in guild, everyone began to cheer.

"I'm all fired up now!" Natsu growled and riots soon consumed the hall. Those who did not participate in the brawls around the guild, and considered themselves ballsy enough, challenged Cana to a drinking contest. After undoubtedly drinking each contender under the table, Cana made her way to an obviously drunken Lucy. She swayed as the music carried throughout her body.

"Uhh, hey Lucy? You sure you're alright? You look like you're trying to fight the air." She looked at her and laughed.

"Huh? Hey, Cana! That's not funny." She slurred, "Hey, have you see Natsu?" she asked. Cana shook her head. _Hmm, I wonder where he went..._

Lucy headed for the shore. It was about two in the morning, Natsu had left when he heard someone make a comment to Lucy about how sexy she looked. That comment brought something out of him an he needed to leave before he started something he couldn't finish, let alone explain his anger. But Lucy was his nakama, why did he feel so territorial? He thought of the way she smiled, her scent of vanilla and sugar. He sniffed and smelled it. _Ahh, she smells so close by. I love that smell._ "Natsu?"

He turned and saw her, Lucy. Her face was flushed, her breathing was heavy and her boots in her hand. "I was wondering where you'd run off too. What are you doing out here by the shore?" She moved closer to him and sat down.

"I was trying to sober up before I went home so I didn't wake up with a hangover." He looked into her eyes and he saw two beautiful burnt amber colored eyes. They danced like flames and he swore she'd been blushing.

"Uhh Natsu?" She looked at him with rosy cheeks and then looked down at the sand. She looked up into the sky, watching the clouds roll past in the night sky. The stars twinkled and reflected in the water. Lucy sighed as the wind brushed against her face and blew her hair from her face. "Natsu?"

"Yeah, Luce?"

"What do you think it would be like to fly like a dragon? I imagine it would be so gorgeous up in the sky! Flying with your mate..." Her voice trailed off as Natsu thoughts consumed him. _What does she know about dragons? Where did she learn about them, I've gotta know!_

"... wouldn't you think so too?" She stared at him as he returned back to reality. He Smiled at her.

"Yeah! I think it would be! But where did you learn so much about dragons?" He questioned her. Lucy was shocked. _Uh oh, did I make him uncomfortable?! I didn't mean to! What do I do? Think, Lucy, think!_

"Well, I was talking to Levy about our brawl with those stupid bandits that stole that magic ring. We started talking abut Dragonslayer magic and how powerful it is. I brought up Igneel and she told me that there are plenty of books in our archives about dragons and the war and things like that. I didn't learn much. But I did learn that Dragonslayers react the same way as dragons do. When it comes to mates, they only find one. Without sharing the magic between the two of them. They can be in grave danger. This happens around the age of 20-22." She looked at him as she explained what she knew. He stared at her and looked up towards the sky.

"Hey Luce, can we go to the archives together and look at some more of those types of books?" Natsu asked with a smile.

"Sure! We'll do it as soon as we wake up, how's that sound?" She beamed and giggled. Tomorrow, they'd be looking for books on dragons and Dragonslayers. But for now, they were making their way to their respective housing.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hey guys! It's been a while. I decided to give up on the last story I wrote and come to a new fandom. I love Fairy Tail and I ship so many characters. This story is mostly about Natsu and Lucy, but there will be other pairings throughout. I hope you guys like this story. It was made for a few friends of mine, one of whom isn't quite far in the show. So I'll try to avoid any spoilers! Thanks, and as always, rate and review please!**

 **~SkyLight342**


	2. The Lost Apartment Key

**A/N: Hey everyone! So, I got a follower and I'm hoping to get many more favorites and follows! I know my last story I was writing didn't go too well. Major writer's block there... BUT! I will finish this one! My friends depend on it. There may be some fluff within the next few chapters or so, just warning you now! But without further ado, please enjoy and as always, R/R!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, just my own ideas and OC's!**

* * *

When Lucy neared her home, it began to rain.

"Oh no! I thought I'd make it home before it started!" She ran as the crying sky began to thunder and light up. With her feet soaked, she dashed as fast as her legs could carry, only to slip and fall right by the river. "Phew, at least I didn't fall in!" She mumbled. "But look at my clothes! They're all tore up!" She looked around, she was closer to her apartment. _Maybe I can make it without some pervert trying to frisk me,_ she thought. She quickly sprung up off the ground and sprinted towards her apartment. When the soaking wet woman approached her door, her house keys were missing. "Dammit!" She slammed her fist against the door. She felt above the door to find her spare key.

"Haha, gotcha!" She said with a sigh of relief when she felt the key. She went over to her lacrima communication crystal and called for Natsu. When he answered, he had but a towel around his waist.

"Hey Lucy, did ya need something?" He asked not phased about wearing only a towel. Lucy, however was taken by surprise. She began to stare at his rock hard chest, her mind started to wander, thinking of what it must feel like. "Luucccyy?" He sang.

"Sorry, it's just umm, never mind," she shook her head, feeling the heat in her cheeks rising. "I was wondering that since you'll probably be at the guild before I get there, would you look for my keys somewhere in the rabble you boys created? I lost them and I'm not sure where they went." She began drying her hair and looking for her comfortable sleep clothes in her dresser. Natsu watched as his eyes roamed to her lower back and ass. _She must've slipped in the rain._ The fall had tattered her skirt and her thigh somewhat scratched. Natsu felt a sting. The way the soaked piece of clothing hung around her plump backside caught his eye. His mind came back as he realized, _Wait, does she mean her Gate Keys?_

"Hold up, you lost your gate keys?"

"No, not those keys." She turned and walked towards her bathroom. Natsu looked confused, but when she returned, she was changed into a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. "I lost the key to my apartment. They're on a lanyard from Hargeon. It's from when I met you and Happy."

"Okay, don't worry. I'll ask Mira to keep a lookout and make sure Gajeel doesn't eat them." He went around the corner and grabbed a pair of boxers. Happy looked at him and sleepily asked, "Is that Lucy? What does she want now?"

"Don't worry buddy, she just lost her key to her apartment. I'll tell Mira in the morning when we get into the guild." Natsu patted his best friend on the head as he fell back asleep. He walked back out and went into the kitchen.

"Hey Natsu? What do you think we'll learn about the dragons tomorrow?"

"Don't know, but maybe it'll have something on their disappearances. But we'll find out soon enough. But, you should probably take care of that scratch on your leg. Goodnight, Luce."

"Night Natsu." With that the two disconnected. Lucy raised her pant leg to see a large scratch running down her leg. "Huh, I didn't even feel it." She bandaged her leg up and walked around her apartment. She wondered why she was phased by Natsu wearing only a towel. She summoned Plue "He wears an open vest all the time. I can see it all the time. Why did I just notice it now?" She looked at Plue, knowing she wasn't really talking to the dog/snowman looking spirit.

"Ahh!"

"What has gotten into me?" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "He's the same Natsu as before, but there's something about him that makes him seem different..." Her mind trailed off. She closed Plue's gate and laid in her bed. Her mind slowly drifting into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

When Natsu disconnected, he walked around his house. He could hear the rain falling, hitting the roof and he felt calm. Or well, calm enough ascould be. He was excited to learn more about the dragon that raised him. _There's bound to be stories on the relentless fire dragon. Maybe about if they've disappeared before. But I could learn about Metalicana and Grandeeney too._

Natsu sat by the window watching the rainfall slowed to a rhythmic pitter-patter. As the rain began to dissipate, the salamander began to envision his father figure flying through the sky, spewing fire and protecting himself from the other dragons during their civil war. What he wanted to learn more about was the Dragon Civil War. He knew that was where the idea of Dragonslayers came from, but wanted to know more. Natsu watched the sunrise from the window. As the birds began chirping and the clouds gave way to the sun, he moved towards his room. There, he found his usual vest, pants and scarf. As he changed, he thought of Lucy. Something about the dragons intrigued her and when something catches her attention, she tends not to let go without learning something.

"Natsu? Did you get any sleep?" Happy looked up and noticed his unchanged facial expression. _Hmm, what's going on in that little head of yours?_ Happy thought.

"Naaaatsuuuuu? Are you there?" Happy flew up to his face. "Hey, are you alright?" Finally, he'd gotten Natsu's attention.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sorry there, little buddy! Just thinking is all." He smiled as he scratched the back of his neck.

"C'mon Happy, let's go to the guild and get something to eat."

"Aye, sir! Will Mira make me fish for breakfast?"

"You ask that question every morning we go to the guild for breakfast." Natsu looked at him. They were making their way out the door and walking towards the guild. The sun shining brightly, and it was radiating warmth early in the morning. Noticing this, Natsu made note of the heat and said, "Wow, it's going to be a historic day for Magnolia." Yet little did the young man know, the weather wasn't the only thing making history.

* * *

When they arrived at the guild, they found the eldest Strauss sibling holding her arm out as she heard Natsu enter the guild. "Natsu! I'm stuck under Elfman and Droy!" she shouted, muffled. Natsu hurried over to the trapped take-over mage and pulled her out from underneath of the two men.

"Are you okay, Mira?" He said as he pulled her to her feet, and helped straighten herself out.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for helping me Natsu." She smiled and noticed something differently about him. "Natsu, why are you here so early? It's barely after daybreak."

"That's right! I was wondering if you had seen Lucy's apartment key? It's on a Hargeon lanyard, I think." He was looking for the keys when he noticed something laying over Gajeel's hand. _Aha!_ "I knew he'd try to eat them. Good thing I got here before he woke up, huh, Mira?" He turned and smiled at he. "Can you whip up some breakfast for Happy and I?"

"Of course! I suppose you'll wait for Lucy here, of course." She turned towards the kitchen and Natsu swore she'd said something about love showing. But he disregarded it. Natsu looked around the guild. Nearly everyone was sprawled out all across the floor, snoring or drooling. Erza holding onto a pillar, Gray in his boxers sitting with in a corner, Cana slumped over a large keg, it was quite a sight. As Mira came out with their food, she noticed him looking at everyone with a slight smile.

"They look quite peaceful, huh? It's the only time it's ever quiet in here. Peaceful enough to think and not be interrupted." Natsu turned around and saw wheels turning in her head as he went to eat.

"What are you getting at?" He said with a mouthful of food.

"In due time, you'll learn what you're feeling." That was all she said before leaving and heading to take a bath.

"Wait, what do you mean?" But he was too late, Mira was out of earshot and he wasn't going to shout and wake everyone up. _Is she talking about Lucy? I mean I've always been fond of Lucy, but I'm not sure what she means by feeling... 'In due time'... what does that-_ Natsu sprang out of his mind and saw Lucy there at the open doors of the guildhall. He felt his heart flutter. She looked beautiful as always, her hair in her normal ponytail and yet, she wore a different outfit today. She went with a blue frilled skirt, a black shirt that was crossed in the back and seemed very exposed, and yet reserved at the same time. The scent of vanilla filled his nose, yet he smelled and additional scent and wasn't sure what it was, but it made him feel a hunger inside that was never there.

"Natsu! You ready to go to the magic library?" She said with enthusiasm.

"Yep! Let's go!" Natsu, Happy, and Lucy left on foot in hopes of finding out more on the dragons.


	3. Dragon Slayers

**A/N: Okay, I'm soooo sorry that I haven't updated in a while. Thins have been going on with family and I needed to gather my mind befor I went completely insane since it's summertime. This chapter is a bit limey, not a lot though. I also didn't find myself all too happy with this chapter. I'm not sure what it is, but I couldn't get the creative juices flowing... But thanks for understanding! As always, I don't on FT, but please R &R!**

* * *

On the trek to the Magic Library, Natsu noticed Lucy was limping and every time he looked over, she seemed to be getting worse. He offered multiple times if she wanted him to carry her. Each time she refused, giving some excuse saying that she could handle it on her own. They had covered most of the ground and had time to rest for a bit and it was getting to lunchtime. The tea found a spot of shade under a tree and made a small resting place within some rocks within the forest. They grabbed the food out of Lucy's bag she brought. The contents within the bag were food, medicine, a second bandage and water. When Lucy sat down on a rock, she seethed in pain and rubbed her thigh.

"Lucy, can I please carry you the rest of the way? It isn't that far now, I can handle it." He was genuinely concerned for his partner. She was in pain and something else was bothering her, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Fine, Natsu. If you really want to." Lucy was now unwrapping her bandage and it seemed to look worse than the night before.

"Hey Luce, it looks worse than it did last night. What happened?"

"Nothing really happened, I just slipped and fell by the edge of the river by my apartment is all."

"Lucy is a clumsy one, isn't she Natsu?" Happy said.

"Hey! You damn cat, go find some fish in the river over there!" Happy flew away, yelling that Scary Lucy came out to play. When he was out of sight, she looked down at her thigh and noticed the scrape had began to open. The scratches stretched to the top of her knee and up towards the top was where it was the deepest. She rubbed antibiotic ointment onto the scratches and wrapped her thigh with the new bandage.

As Natsu watched her rewrap her thigh, she began to struggle. Natsu walked over closer to where she was sitting. "Here, let me help you with that." He took the bandage, and started over. Careful not to cause any pain to her leg. "Why didn't you at least use that clock guy with the funny voice? He usually carries you." He began to tighten the wrappings.

"Geez Natsu, his _name_ is Horologium. Why do I even bother?" _He's really close, I couldn't stop thinking about him last night. His chest looks as hard as a damn rock. I could only think of what else looks so nice. I mean, he's gotta be a-_

"Hey Luce, you smell different. I like it." He growled. Something came over him and it was territorial. She melted as his fiery touch moved up her leg. His face inches away from her core. "That sweet smell is coming from here. Lucy, what were you thinking about?" He had a sly smirk on his face. Lucy felt heat rising to her cheeks and her core dripping.

"I uh...I was thinking about you." She was squirming in her spot. So many images running through her head. Most of them, she never would imagine would happen except in her dreams. If she had the opportunity to actually act out those dreams. She thought she'd never see the day.

"What's the matter Lucy? Have I got you all hot and bothered?" Natsu snaked his hands up her curvaceous body, he stopped. "Are you okay? Do you want me to stop?" He peered into her eyes and looked for any sign of discomfort.

"Umm... I think we should eat before it gets too late and we can't get into the library." She was breathing heavy, he caressed her cheek and pulled away. Something sparked inside her. She knew of her pull towards him recently. _I was all for going at him, got some frustrations myself. But nothing's happening because he needs to learn about what happens when they mate._ As much she wanted to, Natsu had things to learn and she wasn't going to put her selfish needs before him learning what Dragonslayers need to do.

"If that's what you want Lucy, I understand." Natsu looked down and seemed embarrassed. _What just happened? That wasn't me..._ They ate in awkward silence and Happy returned with a few fish.

Lucy looked up at the sky and noticed the sun going down. "It looks like the sun is starting to go down." She looked at Natsu, who was stuffing his face, and said, "We should start moving in a few minutes."

"Welp, lesh ged movin'!" Natsu swallowed his food and said, "But you're not moving."

"Why not?" She huffed and crossed her arms.

"Because of your leg. You're not moving anymore until I say so." She looked down at her bandages and sighed.

"Fine. But only because I'm really sore." Lucy huffed and crossed her arms. She looked around where she sat. There were trees, a small stream running down to the river that Happy went to, and many bushes and flowers. Within one of the bushes, she saw something shining but then quickly disappeared. Natsu sniffed the air.

"What the hell are you doing here, Metalhead?!" He went to the bush and there was Gajeel crouching. The giant dragonslayer looked quite awkward as he hunched over and hid behind a bush. He stood up and straightened himself out.

"I heard you guys were headed to the magic library to learn more about the dragons and dragonslayers. Is that true, bunny girl?" He looked at Lucy.

"Yeah, but what did you wanna go for?" She inquired.

"I wanted to learn about the Dragon Civil War." He said plainly. He sniffed the air and realized why the tension was so thick. "Lucy, Natsu, what were you two doing before I got here?"

"What are you talking about? We didn't do anything, honest. We sat here, ate lunch and talked while I fixed her bandage." Natsu was on fire. _I can't believe he's that quick to figure things out... I can't do anything anyways. I have something I need to figure out._ "Look, let's go to the library now. He walked over and picked up Lucy and looked her in the eyes, "Are you ready?" was all he said and she nodded. Everyone walked in silence and appreciated the sounds of nature as they approached the door to the library.

* * *

Natsu put Lucy down, as she approached the door she heard people inside. They were muffled, but she could understand that they were shouting. As she opened the door, five people were inside.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? It seems to me that you're going interrupt our plans sweetheart." A young man with a strange tattoo on his face, dressed in a cloak.

"Who are you calling, 'Sweetheart', sweetheart? My name is Lucy, and my friends and I are only here to look for books on Dragon Slayers and the Dragon Civil War. The library is huge, can't we just be here in peace?"

"Why of course, Miss Lucy. My name is Zayne Natas, and by the huge pile of books over there is my brother Sabre and Treznor Grisbane, and those two lovely ladies are Lillith Wraith and Scarlet Magnus. We're here for magical history. We'd be more than happy to share the library with such a pretty lady like yourself." He kissed her hand. Natsu watched and he scowled at Zayne.

"Okay then, we'll do our best to stay out of your way." Lucy said. While Lucy and the others went up three stories, Natsu whispered to Lucy, "Hey, Luce? I've got a bad feeling about those guys, they smell weird."

"Yeah, I noticed something weird about them too..." She rubbed her arm and continued, "I know that they aren't good guys, but right now, let's not destroy the library, we'd get our asses handed to us by the magic council, okay?" She smiled at him and kept walking. They stopped at the dragon history section. There, was a subsection labeled Dragon Slayers.

"Natsu! I found the section we were looking for!" Natsu quickly found himself beside Lucy, looking at the books while she scanned them for the title _Dragon Slayer Mating._ When Lucy finally found the book, she quickly grabbed it from its spot on the dusty shelf. She opened the book and read it with Natsu aloud.

"Well it seems that I knew mostly everything here, Luce. Wait, what is that?" he took the book from her hands and looked at a picture. "Well, when you choose your mate, it looks like when you bite her, she gets this mark wherever you choose to bite her. It creates an emblem of both magics together symbolizing togetherness. It's pretty cool. You won't share any magic, but your scent will be on her forever because of this mark. That's pretty cool! But you have to remember you can only mate once, though it's solely your decision who that mate is."

"That's pretty cool, actually. I always thought that it wasn't my choice, that it was in someway chosen for me..." He looked at Lucy and stared into her chocolate orbs. He knew who his mate was before he read this book, now he was certain. It was her all along. "Lucy, I-"

"Hey Natsu! Come over here and check out what happened during the Dragon Civil War! It's totally bad ass! Looks like we were created to kill the dragons that thought humans were unnecessary. Then we kicked ass and got the upper hand in the war. But then something strange happened. It looks like Acnologia. Seems like he was a Dragon Slayer too. He became consumed with power and destroyed both parties."

"Wow, maybe our dragons disappeared because they knew he was going to show up. But I guess there was know real way of them knowing. I mean we didn't even know who that was..."

In the distance, Natsu heard the group of people talking quietly. His ears perked up and he started listening.

"You idiot, how are we supposed to find out about The Eye if you can't remember the name of the book you read? Damn it, Treznor!"

"Hey guys, I think it's time to leave before I start to kick some ass." Natsu looked at Gajeel and he nodded in agreement. He quickly grabbed Lucy and began to speed-walk out of the library. They quickly ran to Fairy Tail to talk to Makarov and ask what this "Eye" was really all about.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So... I'm an asshole. I know I've been gone for a while and I should start updating regularly soon, but I've had some things going on and my head hasn't been all too happy with how I've been behaving. Being a fresh out of high school adult-person-thing does some damage; trying to find your place in the world and all. But nonetheless, I shall get over this funk and write you a new chapter. But I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read, favorited and followed my story on here! It means a lot to my messed up brain! :) without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

Drenched in sweat, they made it to the door of the guild before quickly composing themselves. The entire way back, Lucy thought of just how difficult this was going to explain. There wasn't a whole lot of evidence saying that Zayne and his friends were evil. They had nothing to go on except for the creepy vibe he gave Lucy. The magic library is allowed to be used by wizards everywhere and has research and stories on every magical artifact. But what was this "eye". and what did it do? More importantly, why were Zayne and his friends looking for it?

"Okay, what _exactly_ are we supposed to tell master? That we took a field trip to the library and some guy gave us the creeps? We hardly know anything about them..." Lucy trailed off in thought, They had gone to learn about dragon slayer magic, but she wasn't expecting Natsu turning all hot, then Gajeel popping up out of nowhere and scaring her so bad, she almost fell off the rock. The last thing she wanted was for Zayne Natas, a random man, to press his dirty lips all over her knuckles and creep her out. This was all far too much for her to handle in one day. Natsu, however, seemed on edge about the last job they had.

 _"Don't look in the Eye..."_ he began to think. "Lucy? The last job we did was for that one rich guy who said something about 'The Eye', do you think it's the same thing?" He looked at her with his brow crooked and a serious face.

"You're a genius, Natsu! We've gotta go talk to master, now! I'm sure he'll know something about it!" Lucy ran into the guild hall quickly, but not without making a scene, of course. As soon as the doors opened, everyone in the dining hall turned their heads and looked at her, but the exhaustion painted on their faces seemed to be what was on everyone's mind. They soon shrugged it off as Lucy and the boys nonchalantly walked to the bar where Makarov was sitting, talking to Mirajane.

"Hey, Gramps! How ya been?" Natsu asked with a cheeky grin.

"Hello Natsu, well it seems that everything has more or less melted in this damn heat we've had all day. Everyone is so worn out from heat exhaustion, I'm surprised nobody's gone cuckoo from heat exhaustion!"

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, old man. But it seems we've got ourselves a bit of a growing situation." Gajeel said.

"Hmm? And what might this pressing matter be about?"

"Well, master, what do you know about a magical 'Eye' that would get the attention of some creepy guys? Seems to be pretty ancient from where they were looking in the library, too." Lucy spoke.

"Let's move to a more private setting all of you. Upstairs, if you please." Makarov gestured towards his office area and one by one, they piled into the average-sized room, closing the door once all of them were inside. When he got to his desk, he opened the top drawer and pulled out an old textbook and opened the book the a specific page. On the page, there was a picture of an odd-looking staff. On top, it held a green and black orb swirling the colors, but never combining them. The staff itself was made of a material close to ebony. It was highly detailed with inscriptions all over the length of the staff. "The Eye of Magical Consumption. This is also known as the 'Evil Eye'. It has been said that when looking directly into the orb, it can take control of your powers and you. It's almost like Medusa when it comes to staring at her and turning to stone. But instead of stone, it's your body not being in your control. Almost like telekinesis, but the holder is able to learn everything about you through this staff."

"So the orb is the eye. But the staff holds the incantations needed in order to use it? What happened, was it broken apart at one point in time?" Lucy pointed to a picture on the next page, "Master, it seems that the orb and staff came apart by Zeref!"

"Well hey, bunny girl, at one point he wasn't a dark wizard. Everyone starts out good at one point or another. Sometimes they change back to the good side." Gajeel was quick to put in, as if offended. True, Zeref was the inventor of the Dark Arts, though he seemed to act like more of a misunderstood and depressed teenager.

"Yes, Lucy. Zeref took apart the Eye from the staff and hid the staff. I believe the item you and Natsu were guarding for Mr. Baxter was the orb itself. However, you must talk to that man yourselves to be sure." Makarov looked at the two of them and they all shared a glance. They knew what needed to be done.

"Master, what if we get there too late? Does it say anything about where the staff was hidden? There's no way they could find it without some sort of clues." Lucy spoke.

"All that is said within the book is that there's a place hidden from the world. But, using the Eye and some educated guessing, I feel you all could figure it out with Levi's help too. She's as smart as the library herself, I'd wager by now." Makarov disclosed to the group. "But I suggest you talk to Mr. Baxter about the matter before that group gets there." Makarov rushed them downstairs, but called upon Natsu as everyone else walked out the door.

"Natsu, before you leave, there's something I need you to keep in mind," he looked up at Natsu, and a serious expression came onto his face. "Protect this group. This is something that will be extremely difficult to do. If they get their hands on the orb and then find the staff, the entire wizard existence will be in danger. I don't care how much damage is done, this is something that could destroy the entire world unless otherwise thwarted. Do you understand, boy?" Makarov's entire demeanor changed, almost as if he was scared. _But there's no way Gramps could be scared, right? He was a Wizard Saint!_ "Don't worry, Gramps, I promise, I'll bring everyone home. Nobody's dying on my watch. Besides, there's no way they can take my mate away from me, I'm all fired up now, and there's nothing containing this one until I kick some ass!" And out the doors of the guild Natsu went.

While Makarov sat there on his desk, he began to think, _That boy's got a fire I haven't seen from a wizard in years. He fights for the companionship of his guildmates- his family. The one he loves will only make him stronger as they grow together. He's already become a wiser young man since she's been around. I trust my children with all of my heart. But Mavis, please let them come home to their family when everything is said and done._

* * *

As Natsu regrouped with the others, they were already deciding how to go about asking Mr. Baxter about the orb.

"We have to take the next train to Crocus, there's no questioning it. I don't want to hear any objections, Natsu."

"Bu-" He pleaded.

"Ah! I said no objections! We have to get there before Zayne and his group of creeps get there before we do, Natsu. That means we have to take the train, it the only way. Everyone has two hours to pack what they need for this trip because we're going out and into the field as soon as we get the orb from Mr. Baxter. We have to find the staff and keep it away from them as soon as we can. So we'll meet up at the train station in _two hours,_ okay? I'll go talk to Levy and tell her what's going on, we're going to need her help, definitely. There's no harm in getting Gray and Erza, either, their strength will help us too. " As Lucy went back inside the guild to find their friends and catch them up to speed on the situation at hand, Natsu and Happy went to their home, and Gajeel went to the male dorms.

They only had two hours to grab essentials and first-aid supplies. Gajeel was at a loss, he didn't really pack for missions, but he knew that since Levy was coming, he needed to bring some first aid and herbs. He went to seek out to herbal medicines from local healers able to spare whatever they could and went to see Levy. Natsu and Happy were packing little things like bandages and ointments. Natsu was in full focus as he packed his bag and grabbed his wallet. Happy went off to tell Carla good-bye, so Natsu decided to go see if Lucy needed help packing. On the way to Lucy's apartment, he was thinking about the things he'd seen the night before. His mind began to wander to her body and her creamy skin. She was always on his mind, and there was always and burning need to be by her. Nothing had ever felt this way.

He climbed through Lucy's window to find her packing and he grabbed the draft of her novel and handed it to her. She grabbed it out of his hand and smiled as she looked at him, until it registered that he had snuck up on her once again. "Natsu! What the hell! You scared me! You can't go doing things like that." She looked at him with a mixed expression that he couldn't read.

"Aww, c'mon , Luce, you know it's not such a bad thing." He smiled. As Lucy looked at him, she began to look closely at his features. His slick jawline, the canine tooth that was prominent as he smiled, his rock hard abs, the way he smelled of cinnamon and firewood, and the way his gorgeous eyes changed colors while in Dragonforce. But she must've been staring too long because he began to notice. Natsu decided to use this to his advantage and began to admire her body. From her breasts, he eyed his way down to her small waist and creamy skin. He looked back up into the large chestnut eyes, he enjoyed everything. His favorite thing about her was the scent of vanilla she had.

"Natsu, I-"

"What is it Lucy?" The space between them grew thinner and their bodies grew closer as he stared at a speechless Lucy. "Do you want something? Do you _need_ something?" Becoming animalistic, he brought his hand to her neck and pulled her lips onto his. Quickly, he pushed his tongue into her mouth as she opened it. He pushed her against the wall and moved from her mouth to her neck where he began to nibble on the sweet spot. She stifled a moan as he maneuvered his mouth on her neck and earlobe. She began running her hand through his hair and just as he broke away from her neck, there was a knock at the door.

"Lucy? Are you almost ready to go? We have to meet everyone there in about twenty minutes!" It was none other than Erza. As Natsu groaned in vain, having their moment being interrupted so rudely, he went to the bathroom as Lucy answered the door.

"Hey Erza! Yeah, I'm almost ready, I just have to change my bandage on my thigh, Natsu's in the bathroom right now, but then we'll all go down together, how's that sound?" She smiled at Erza, hoping she wouldn't think of anything happening.

"Well, Luce, I'd love to accompany you to the train station." They shared a brief moment within their eyes and Erza noticed. The began to think of Jellal and how much she wished to se him more often than the monthly rendezvous to Balsam Village. She chuckled as they stared at each other and they looked at her with matching expressions of confusion. "It's nothing, just a memory is all. But hurry up and change your bandage or we'll miss the train."

"Oh, right. Natsu, will you wrap my leg up again? You seem to do it better than I can." She blushed as she went to sit down on the desk chair.

"Sure!" He quickly and carefully took off the existing wrappings and reapplied ointment to the wound. When he finished wrapping up the leg he stood up and looked at her, "There ya go, all better!" He laughed and helped her to her feet. He quickly grabbed their luggage and made their way to the train station where Gray, Levy, Gajeel and Happy were waiting. _Oh boy, this is going to be a crazy mission_ , thought Lucy. They all boarded the train into two private carts. Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Erza in one cart, while Gray, Levy, and Gajeel sat in the second. After the train began to run, they all piled into Lucy's car and they spoke of their plans while Natsu slept off his motion sickness. Soon, they'd be in Crocus and hopefully with Mr. Baxter giving them the Eye.


	5. Some Feelings?

**A/N: Guys! You have totally made me happy! My new followers and favoriters, this story is going to be a longer one than those of which I've written before. I'm immensely grateful that people are enjoying my storyline with the Dragon slayers their mates and watching everyone change. I know that they're a little ooc, but I'm hoping you can understand why. Not even going to make excuses as towards why I haven't written in a while, but I am super sorry! :'(**

 **~SkyLight342**

* * *

The train ride was mostly quiet after going over their mission to get the Eye. Gajeel and Lucy would go to the door and as to speak with Mr. Baxter while everyone else bordered the perimeter in case Zayne and his group came up while Lucy and Gajeel were in their meeting with Baxter. _It seems like a fool-proof plan, really. But only if he's there and safe inside,_ thought Lucy. Everyone was in their respective cabins now and Happy was sleeping next to Erza and Lucy watched Natsu as he slept on her lap while she ran her fingers through his hair. Unaware that Erza was actually awake watching Lucy seem so content with the way her life was - completely serene, Erza spoke up.

"Lucy?" It actually startled her when Erza called her name, but she looked up without a worried expression on her face. "What's going on between you and Natsu?" Lucy looked down at him and smiled slightly a huffed. "Well, Erza, I'm not sure. When we came back from the games, things between us were stronger, nothing is official because I'm not sure if he really loves me like I love him. He gets all animalistic when we're alone with each other. I know he enjoys my company, but I don't know if he lusts after me or loves me..." Lucy's voice trailed off and she stopped rubbing his head. She looked at Natsu and looked at Erza. "I've known that I've been in love with him, I have for a while. But I think with what happened at the games, I realized how much I did and that it's possible he feels the same way. When the dark future Rouge attacked the future me and killed me, he went berserk! I mean, it was crazy watching myself die like that, but he went crazy. It was like a whole new person came out of Natsu, and I wasn't sure if I was excited or scared to see it."

"Well I can't argue with that, Lucy. The way he reacted when that happened definitely shows some sort of attachment to you. No doubt about it. I can see that he feels strongly about you. It reminds me of the way I feel about Jellal. I love him with all my heart, no matter what happens in the future. I'm certain that there will be good things coming your way for you two, Lucy." Erza smiled and Lucy began to imagine a day where her and Natsu would be together.

"Say, Erza? Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Well, I don't see why not, we're guildmates and friends. Go on ahead."

"What exactly happened between you and Jellal?" Lucy hoped she didn't go too far with asking that question, but she was curious. "If you don't want to answer the question it's quite alright! I mean I wouldn't want to overstep any boundaries!"

"I'll answer, it's fine." Erza's stoic facial expression changed to a sincerely saddened one. "What happened between us when he told me he had a fiancé, it wasn't much. We talked about his reason behind creating Crime Sorciere was to atone for his sins from the Tower of Heaven. We started arguing about how everything happened there and whatnot, and we tumbled down the rocks from where we were sitting. He ended up on top of me, looking at me the way you look at Natsu. We almost kissed. But he pushed me away, telling me he was engaged. Which I knew was a lie. But I told him he had to live for her. That he has something to live for in this world. That if he wasn't going to live for himself, to live for her. We parted ways after that." She looked down at Happy, "I also recall kicking the shit out of Happy for a drawing he made in the sand on the beach." Erza stared at her feet, her heart heavy and full of despair.

"But through all that, I knew he loved me since we were young at the Tower. He saved my life, I was to be the sacrifice. I was to be the one who Jellal was. To think about how that one sacrifice made my life completely different, I have never felt so loved by someone that young in my life." Erza had tears in her eye. Lucy looked at her.

"Oh Erza, that must've been painful for you." Lucy said.

"It really meant something to me when he did that, though of course I didn't know it at the time. But when we went back and I saw him again and learned of his possession, I thought about what that really meant and what I really meant to him. So I know he loves me, but he's just punishing himself." Erza wiped her eye, and smiled at Lucy. "You're the first person who's asked me and I appreciate it. Thank you, Lucy."

Lucy's eyes were watering, feeling special that Erza even opened up like that to her. "I'm glad you trust me enough to be so open with me, Erza. I know I'm not your best friend or anything and even though I'm your guildmate, I'm glad you're my friend too." Lucy wiped her eyes. Just then, Gray entered their cabin slowly.

"Hey you two, we should be there in a couple hours. You should get some sleep." He said.

"Same goes for you, Gray. Why are you awake?" Lucy questioned.

"Well someone has to be awake since you're all pretty heavy sleepers. I mean you sleep through Natsu coming through your window, don't you?" Lucy blushed and looked at Erza. _Well really, I know he comes in all the time. But I guess I shouldn't say that..._ Lucy thought. Of course saying that would bring up so many questions and Erza may actually go a little crazy and accuse them of doing more than sharing a bed to actually sleep.

"Well I guess I can't argue with that, can I?" She rubbed the back of her head and chuckled nervously.

"However, Gray is correct. We should most definitely get some sleep if we plan to have any chance of fighting off that group you four met at the library."

"Yeah, that's true. Okay, Erza, we should definitely get some sleep." With that the two girls got into a more comfortable position without disturbing those sleeping on their laps already and drifted off to dream world. _In a few hours, we'll be in Crocus. I haven't been back since the games. I wonder what it looks like now. We did some damage to the outer city limits, I'd say._ Lucy thought before her next though was a dream.

* * *

In the other cabin was Gajeel, Levy and Gray. Gajeel was sitting next to Levy while Gray slept for a few hours. He looked at the bluenette and inwardly smiled. "Hey, shrimp. What exactly did you find about the Eye?"

Levy looked up at Gajeel, his stoic face seemed gorgeous to her. She felt heat rush to her cheeks, "Well, I found out that Master is pretty lucky to have that book which contains almost nothing on this magical artifact. I can't seem to find anything on it besides what was already told to us." She looked defeated. But Gajeel wasn't going to have any of it.

"Hey, now. Don't beat yourself up about it, it's not like these things are easy. It's a challenge that only you can handle. It's what you're with us for. We need your help because without you, I'm sure we wouldn't even be able to understand anything on the staff anyways. Besides, what if we have magical clues in an ancient language? You know almost every one of them so it's great to have you with us, Levy." He looked at her sincerely. _Did he just call me 'Levy'?_ She thought. _Back at the games, I was so afraid he'd die or get seriously injured. Especially underwater._ Her mind flashed back to when she dove underwater and gave him air. It was like a kiss, but weird. Well, at least they didn't have anything awkward between them after it all. Neither addressed it either.

"Hey, Gajeel?" Levy was obviously uncomfortable, and he could tell. Still, he looked at her and motioned for continuation. "I really feel for you. Since Tenrou Island, I've had feelings for you and I wanted you to be by my side."

Gajeel was taken aback at the forwardness of Levy's actions. He was speechless. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way, I've just felt like I needed to address it because I know about the whole mate thing and I was wondering if it were possible if I was that one for you?" She looked down at her hands which were in fists as she tried not to cry.

"Listen, if we make it out of this thing alive, I'd gladly take you as my mate." He looked at her and softly smiled and wrapped his arm around her and they slept soundly until Gray woke everyone up saying it was time to get off the train. The last one to wake up was Natsu, but that was because they dn't want to deal with his incredibly sensitive motion sickness. Once the train stopped at the station, they rushed to Mr. Baxter's mansion in hopes that he would be okay and the Eye would still be in his possession.


End file.
